Omar Al-Rasheed

Al-Jazirah

How good it feels to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and its pollution by going to the countryside for the peace of mind and body Perhaps you have heard about the government’s strategy for rural development. What is its importance and what will be its effect in the long run?

We all know about the first, second and third growth plans up until the current developmental cycle that was focused on big cities. Rural areas and villages have received education services and reconstruction work, but they have not received sustainable development that makes use of available resources to benefit people socially and economically. In addition to the absence of this strategy, the decreasing of water resources during the last decades has resulted in the immigration of people living in rural areas, along with desertification and a decrease in the land available for grazing animals.

People living in these areas have migrated to cities in search of a better standard of living. The government’s strategy for rural development will reverse this trend by encouraging the people in rural areas to settle there.

It is worth mentioning that many middle class people in the city invest in the countryside or in nearby villages. Retired and even young people and their families buy property in rural areas for their personal use. This is because it is well known that the countryside is beneficial for people’s health and that it cleanses their souls from pollution. How beautiful it is to go back to the countryside.